9624542 Morrison The ability to study old stellar populations in galaxies, the results of which may be used to trace the formation and evolution of galaxies, has benefited in several ways from the advent of large-format Charge-Coupled-Devices (CCDs) and increased computing power. A major advance has been the development of techniques of using deep CCD imaging of galaxies, which allows one to study the old stellar populations of nearby galaxies in unprecedented detail. The observations to be carried out will reach more than 2 magnitudes fainter than previous observations. The results of the research will serve to delineate the older stellar populations of a representative sample of nearby disk galaxies, using recently developed techniques. A systematic investigation of the properties of 10 nearby edge-on disk galaxies with Hubble types ranging from Sc though Sa to S0 will be carried out. Of particular interest in this work are the properties of thick disks and stellar halos of these galaxies, when they exist. The study of the thick disks observed in the sample will able one to test the currently popular models of thick disk galaxy formation by satellite accretion. If the models predict successfully the thick disk properties of this sample, there is the possibility of using thick disks as tracers of the accretion history of galaxies. The characterization of thick disks and halos in this sample will allow us to test for the first time whether the Milky Way's old stellar populations are typical of nearby disk galaxies. Most of the observations will be taken on Case Western Reserve University's (CWRU) Burrell Schmidt telescope at Kitt Peak Natal Observatory (KPNO), to which CWRU has special access. An improved CCD system for the Schmidt, with a factor of 5 improvement in quantum efficiency, will be purchased. This upgrade of the CCD system will enable surface photometry observations in the blue region of the spectrum, and thus provide color (and hence a ge and metallicity) information on the thick disk and halo stellar populations. Teaching development activities will include involvement of undergraduate students in research and in course development of the "Introduction to Astronomy for Majors" course. This will closely tie what is taught to current research, using a thematic approach. Two major areas of current astronomical research, how the solar system was formed and the determination of the value of cosmic distance scale problem, will be used as recurring themes in the two-semester course. Other teaching-related activities will include several innovative ways of improving teaching, organized through CWRU's new teaching center (including active learning techniques and a strong use of the World Wide Web). A program to allow undergraduates to accompany the PI on observing trips to KPNO will be carried out. ***
